Better Days Gone By
by Snarkcasmman
Summary: Lee Everett thought after 11 years that his divorce would have been the lowest point in his life. However, a strange inflection sweeps cross the nation, and Lee finds he needs to protect Clementine, daughter of his friends Diana and Ed. Can he protect the little girl he watched grow up? (Alternate Universe) Rated M for coarse language and violence/gore.
1. Average Morning

**A/N: Hello! This is my first post on the site** **, and my first time trying to write this seriously for a non-assignment Story. Also fair warning, I'll be using a fairly large plot divergence, as well as a fair amount of Alternate Universe content, so keep that in mind. Please leave feedback, and if you have any questions, leave those too!**

 **Legal Stuff: I own no rights to The Walking Dead™, nor the characters created by Telltale Games or Robert Kirkman. This is a work of non commercial fan fiction, and is in no way representative of the brand.**

 **However, I do own Smeglehash™, my new word. That's mine**

* * *

Honestly, you'd think that the police wouldn't be flying down the street at this hour. Inside a suburb, a constant stream police cars seemed set on waking the entire neighborhood up despite the early hour, their alarms piercing the silence, residents around the block started to shift awake from the continued noise. Inside a particular house, however, the occupant was trying to ignore the outside.

Lee Everett grumbled at the continued noise, trying to use his pillow to cover his head, much like a fussy child would. His hope of once again returning into the land of sleep, however, ws dashed by another car passing, its siren seeming more shrill as it sped off to parts unknown. With a resigned sigh and now fully awake, Lee shifted himself up in his bed, taking time to rub the sleep lingering in his eyes. He heaved another sigh out, and swung out from the comfort of his blanket. Pajama clad, Lee decided that he was better off getting dressed and ready, despite the lockdown his entire neighborhood was put under now that there was a viral infection spreading rapidly.

Eager to rid himself of his awful morning breath, Lee went to the bathroom first. Grabbing his toiletries, Lee applied some deodorant and brushed his teeth thoroughly. Smiling at the reflection to show off his white chompers, Lee took stock on his appearance. He thought he still looked young despite being nearly 40, and his face had retained much of his youthful look. His dark hair, recently cut, looked as good as it usually did. Lee inspected his beard, now grown out, and briefly thought of shaving, but dismissed it just as fast. He thought it made him look more sophisticated anyway.

As Lee walked to his closet, his sock padded feet falling silently inside his empty bedroom towards the large storage space. Throwing open the door and quickly flicking on the light, Lee was briefly blinded by the sudden illumination. Before him lay a modest assortment of clothes, either hanging up upon various shelves with coat hooks or lying folded neatly in small stacks up on top of the shelves. Lee studied his selection, briefly wondering if he would just forgo an outfit and stay in his pajamas, but silently rejected the notion, wanting to look proper for the day. Deciding to just keep it as an undershirt, Lee left on his white t-shirt, and found a navy blue button up which he threw around his shoulders, making quick work of the buttons afterwards. Shirt and undershirt firmly on, Lee slipped out of his pajama bottoms, slipping on his green jeans from the previous day. Satisfied with his quick work, Lee decided to get something to eat from the kitchen. Stepping into his living room, he admired it for a moment, but felt a coldness emanating from the lack of other people.

Living alone was still a somewhat strange prospect. Lee found that, even after their separation some 12 or so years ago, he fondly recalled living with his wife, before the feelings turned hollow as memories of the aftermath flooded back. Lee silently clenched his hands as the bitter residing anger that stayed after the divorce resurfaced. The affair had long since past, and she was gone for good, apparently moving with the senator all the way out to the west coast, enjoying the good life he offered her. Lee calmed himself, and resumed his morning activities.

His house was a modest affair, especially given Lee only needed to care for himself. A single bedroom and bathroom combo, with a standard living room and slightly cramped kitchen, it was all he needed to fulfill his needs. Tasteful decor and pieces of art sat among the walls, and slightly shabby furniture made it a combination of both homely and modern. His favorite decorations sat atop a nice table, behind the couch. On that table were photos of his neighbors, and his closest friends. Ed and Diane Barnes. They were some of the first people Lee talked to after the public court cases against his wife and his move. He could still remember the awkwardness at the start of their friendship.

But the couple were good people, and Lee found they were great friends. Ed was an engineer and definitely handy round the house, fixing anything or tinkering away hours at a time. Diane was a doctor, and after some introductions, was a major boost for Everett Drugstore, where she now sent most patients to grab their medication. Both were most proud in their daughter Clementine though. Smart, nice and especially bright, Clementine was a very special 11 year old. Lee had hung around her since she was born, and was something of an uncle to her now. Thinking of the girl caused Lee to instinctively turn his head, staring out a window to Ed and Diane's house. Clementine and Sandra, the regular babysitter, were locked down there, same as he was.

His stomach promptly reminded him to focus on alieving the hunger he felt. Not in the nood to make anything, he simply grabbed a protein bar and a glass of water before setting down on the couch. With a flick of the power button, his television came to life, and soon displayed a news channel. A sharply dressed man looked straight at the camera, his lower half covered by a podium with "Breaking News" in constant scrolling text.

"Reports from Atlanta City Police say the city outskirts are suffering the worst now from this new virus. Dozens of attacks by infected persons have now been recorded as hospitals try to deal with increased intake. The United States Army is arriving within the next 3 hours to set up emergency camps for the infected. However, we need to restate that all residents in the towns of Athens, Rome, Anderson and Agusta need to say indoors, or evacuate to a public shelter. We repeat, stay in your homes or go to a public Shelter. Now, on a updated report on safety procedures with Carly out in Macon. Carley, what is the instructions the city government have set for the town at this time?"

"Well, currently-" Lee powered the TV off, already aware of the procedure in Macon.

People were losing their heads over the seasonal flu, Lee laughed to himself at all the reactions people were having, trying to make it seem like the end of the world.

This was all going to blow over soon.


	2. Into the Fire

If anyone had benefited from this panic, it was his family. Indeed a few calls with his brother proved to be Everett Pharmacy down towards downtown Macon is now making a killing from the panicked people wanting to purchase some snakeoil to keep the encroaching sickness. Thinking about it makes me want to give a call to his family however cell reception was becoming patchier these last couple of days. Gulping down his glass of water Lee heard yet another police car wail their way past his house, dashing to find yet another emergency. All Lee had to look forward to the rest of the day was more sirens, as well as the influx of pedestrians fleeing the city, despite explicit orders to stay put. Greedily wolfing down his very lazy breakfast, Lee returned to his bedroom to fetch his watch. The elegant silver timepiece read a simple "7:34", meaning Lee was in for a severely boring day. His TV would simply be playing non-stop news updates, and the police were adamant about staying put inside of your home if you weren't trying to reach a public shelter. The streets were likely going to be overcrowded with exiting cars and anxious citizens.

"Well, I suppose now would be a good time to start grading the papers for class next Monday." It seemed his only break from the nothing that was going on would be some paperwork, rather tedious grading at that. Lee loved his class, but it was only the dullest work when he wasn't allowed to be in the classroom. Atlanta University had gone ahead and suspended normal lessons, opting to keep everyone home and away from the city. Lee was somewhat mad, his lesson plan now ruined for the foreseeable future. Then again, he still got a paycheck, so this was really all stacked in his favor.

* * *

Maybe the overwhelming monotony was messing with Lee, since it seemed the papers took longer to correct. He'd spent 4 hours doing a job that on average was about 2 at worst. Heated arguing broke his concentration, as voices outside squabbled. The mass exodus had returned, but with more tension than Lee hd experienced. Where small scuffles broke out previous days, larger scale fights and shouting matches signified the day. It was as if they were in a life or death crisis, Lee thought to himself. It bothered him on what could be scary enough to warrant a reaction of this kind from so many. The virus going around shouldn't be scaring people this badly.

Moving to the window, Lee watched as cars crawled forward, eager to exit city limits. Every type of vehicle was on display, from RVs to bicycles, all moving with intense purpose. Many were on foot, walking to their destination with only a few bags on their back. In the crowd, some police officers were mixed in, trying to keep the peace and stop any of the more serious fights.

It was a hotbed of misery, and the air of despair was palpable. Lee found himself no longer able to stomach the sight, and promptly averted his gaze.

The rest of the afternoon was spent milling about, just occupying the time. Lee flicked the TV on, but all that seemed to loop was evacuation orders and some news updates about the deteriorating situation that was consuming inner city Atlanta. His ears had turned to the streets outside, where the fear and unrest seemed to increase every hour. Truly, this was the biggest panic that he'd seen in his life.

Glancing at his watch, his dutiful time keeper read 6 at night. A reheated plate of takeout would be his meal for the night. Lee ate in silence, dreading another day of this. The paperwork was now done, meaning Lee had no more distractions that he hadn't already used ad nauseum. His flip phone ringing out of the blue was a welcome surprise, considering the lack of outside communication.

"Hello?"

"Lee? Thank fuck, I've been trying to send a call out for the last 2 hours. Are you at your house?"

The very tired and panicked voice shook Lee up for a second, but he recognized who it was.

"Ed? Yeah I'm at my house now, why?" A quick pause made Lee more nervous.

"Lee, listen to me. I need you to go to my house. I need you to watch Clementine and Sandra, okay? The sickness is much worse than they've been reporting. I'm at a hospital in Savannah with Diane, she was bitten on the hand by this guy on the street." Lee processed what his friend was telling him before Ed started again. "Please Lee, keep Clementine safe." The tone was pleading. Lee briefly thought of the response, but it only took a moment to think of it.

"...Okay man, you can trust me. I'll keep Clementine safe. " Lee was unsure of the situation, however he would keep that promise to Ed.

"Alright, thank you." Perhaps there was more to be said, however the line dropped after that. Lee returned his cell phone to his pocket, and pondered on Ed's words. Diane was bitten by some guy? Lee wanted to know just how bad things were, when all at once, the screaming started. The screams were bloodcurdling, desperate and contained every ounce of pure dismay that could be crammed in. The shouting turned frightened as Lee heard the crowds suddenly start running, trying in vain to escape the threat that had gone unseen to him. Lee decided that now was the time to run over to Ed and Diane's house.

Lee stopped at his front door to slip on his older dress shoes. The door flung open with little care, Lee more urgently trying to run into the fray. The scene was about as awful as the sounds had made it. Lee could see the panicked dozens fleeing away, the city acting as a terrible backdrop for the thus unseen horror.

Unseen, until now that is. Lee watched with alarm as the sick made themselves known. Maybe because he was outside now, Lee heard something absent from the inside of the house. Moans. A dull roar of moans that continued to rise as Lee glanced at a mass of stumbling infected. That were certainly strange, with a slow gait propelling them forward. The fright set in as he noticed the fine details in the sun's fading light. Their skin was an unnatural discolored grey, blood coating their mouths and hands. An angry snarl was attached to every face, with milky eyes staring straight into those still running away.

Gunfire erupted beside him, the cops and few gun owners deciding to fight the approaching hoard. Their gunfire deafened all else around, bullets striking their targets as well as any vehicle left on the road. But there was no reaction, no staggering and no stop to the approach, seemingly unbothered by the stream of projectiles speeding into them. Lee watched as bullets slammed full force that were ignored, ripping through flesh and clothes. Once close enough, the sick decided to show why they were so scary.

A man with a small pistol was too close to the infectees, and Lee watched as several hands grabbed the man. His surprise and attempted escape was cut short by several sets of teeth sinking into him. Lee looked on, horrified with morbid curiosity as several unlucky people were devoured, screams dying as their flesh was ripped apart and organs torn out to be eaten. Lee realized how FUBAR this had turned, and decided getting to Clementine was better down sooner rather than later. Lee averted his eyes, running towards his objective. Reaching the door, Lee reached towards the knob when more yelling grabbed his attention.

A police officer wielding a large shotgun was becoming overwhelmed by the crowd. A sick man in office attire leaped forward, staggering onto the man and tearing into his arm. A swift smack with the butt of the shotgun sent the man back, and his head was promptly blown off. Lee knew he had to help him, or he'd die.

"Hey, over here! C'mon, get over here officer!" The man shifted to look at Lee, and broke into a run to the house.

Lee nodded at him, and threw open the door to the house.


End file.
